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Blaz Rola became the first former Ohio State player to win a singles match at Wimbledon since
1985 with a straight-set victory over Pablo Andujar yesterday, setting up a second-round match on
Wednesday against defending champion Andy Murray.

“When I saw the draw, my motivation was off the charts,” Rola said. “It feels great to have this
opportunity.”

Rola, who is from Slovenia, won the 2013 NCAA singles title before beginning his pro career. He
reached the second round of Australian Open in January.

“It’s phenomenal for Blaz and for Ohio State,” Buckeyes tennis coach Ty Tucker said. “To make it
to the ATP top 100 in less than a year speaks volumes for his ability and determination.

“He’s got a tough out in Andy Murray, but every kid who’s ever played tennis at a high enough
level to play a national tournament dreams of playing on center court at Wimbledon against a
reigning champion."

Against Andujar, Rola had 35 winners and broke serve six times in the 1-hour, 41-minute match.
Rola also won 22 of 24 net points, won 80 percent of his first-serve points and allowed Andujar to
convert only 1 of 7 break chances.

Rola is the third Buckeye to play in the singles tournament at Wimbledon. Francisco Gonzalez
reached the round of 16 in 1981 and the second round in ’84 and ’85. Roger Smith lost in straight
sets in the first round in 1989. Smith also lost five times in the first round in doubles. He did
win one mixed doubles match in 1991 with Catherine Suire.

Also yesterday at Wimbledon, the player Murray defeated in last year’s final, top-seeded Novak
Djokovic, won in similarly easy fashion, taking the first 11 games and never facing a break point
on the way to defeating 56th-ranked Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.

In women’s play, Sloane Stephens’ run of reaching the second week at six consecutive majors —
the longest active streak among women — ended with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) first-round loss to 109th-ranked
Maria Kirilenko.

“It feels like the end of the world now, but fortunately it’s not,” Stephens, the 18th seed,
said, shaking her head. “So that’s a good thing. You’ve just got to go back and keep working.”

Stephens saved five match points while serving and trailing 6-5 in the second set. But in the
tiebreaker, a wide forehand from Stephens allowed Kirilenko to convert her sixth match point.

Coming into the match, Stephens’ career record in Grand Slam matches was 31-12 (a .721 winning
percentage); she is just 55-54 (.505) in all other main-draw matches.

Five-time champion Venus Williams earned her first victory at the tournament in three years,
adopting an underdog mentality to help her to dispose of Spaniard Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-4 4-6
6-2.

“I’m not here to surprise anyone. I’ve got nothing to prove, nothing to hide and nothing to
lose. For me it’s just about continually playing better,” said Williams, 34.

Making her 17th appearance at Wimbledon, a competition she missed last year because of a back
injury, Williams served 11 aces.

Also in women’s play, second-seeded Li Na of China advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Paula
Kania of Poland.

Li, the 2011 French Open champion, rallied to win the last four games of the first set.

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.